


when you fall in love

by tsuluio



Series: the oc universe [2]
Category: Splatoon
Genre: Developing Relationship, Explicit Language, Fluff, High School AU, M/M, Making Out, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:13:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22286938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsuluio/pseuds/tsuluio
Summary: It starts with a tutoring session and then turns into something much more.
Relationships: Elliot (OC)/Cupid (OC), Inkling(s)/Octoling(s) (Splatoon), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: the oc universe [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1604218
Kudos: 2





	when you fall in love

**Author's Note:**

> rated teen for a makeout session ig haha also multiple swears in different languages
> 
> also octolings in here are hced to come from france so they speak french :) and cupid and rumi (and des technically) all belong to my bff 
> 
> people dont usually read oc things but ill just upload a bunch of them here so uh yeah bc i like posting

The girl sitting across from him is intriguing, really. She's like a puzzle that he has yet to solve, an enigma that felt unreachable at the moment, one of the only people in this school he doesn't know very much of. 

And yet here he is, supposed to get tutoring from her even though they both know he's more than capable of doing his work on his own. Faking being stupid is working out, so far. It allows him to pry her open, to see how she ticked, to wonder how the hell this girl even managed to get away with so much and yet be seen so little.

"You and I both know you can do this crap on your own," she had informed him, voice dull and disinterested. "So you do your thing and I'll do mine and we won't waste time on that, okay."

He had nodded then, and went back to work. But he can't focus. He wants to talk to her, to figure her out, but she has made it clear she's not one for conversation.

There's a Rubik's Cube on the desk, half solved, and as he watches, she picks it up and quite literally flicks it, soundlessly sending the miniature cubes across the table. The dismantling of the toy is almost too fast for Cupid to really process it, and by the time he realizes it's strewn across the table, it's back together, solved, in Ella's right hand.

"How'd you do that?" he blurts, and Ella turns to him, eyes stoic behind her sunglasses.

"Practice."

"Isn't that cheating, though?"

Ella's gaze flicks from him to the cube in her hand and back again. "Yes. But I can solve it normally."

"Prove it."

The other raises a brow. "What would I get out of it."

"Pride, what else~? Bragging rights, like, haha De La Rue's dumb and misjudges people."

Her brows furrow now. "And I would need this because..."

"Beats me, sweetie. It's your show."

She stares at him longer and he raises his hands. "Okay, okay, chill, you don't have to if you don't--

Ella tosses the cube at him; unprepared, he almost drops it. "Then mix it up for me."

Dumbstruck, he does as she says and hands the cube back. Nothing happens for what seems like forever -- five seconds maybe? -- before her hands flash over the cube and it returns to its perfect solidly-colored self. She slides it back to Cupid before he can blink. It took so little time that Cupid is amazed

"Holy fuck, what did you do?"

A hint of a smile crosses her lips. "Solved it."

"Yeah, I can see that, but wh-- how??" He's sputtering now, arms waving wildly. The bell rings and she stands, gathering her things while he stares in disbelief. "Shit, that's got to be the fastest--"

"I get that a lot." She closes the flap of her bag and nudges her chair into the table. "Nice tutoring session. See you tomorrow."

"Wait, don't you need the--"

"Keep it. I don't have a use for it anyway."

He watches, frozen, as she walks away, lost in the crowd of exiting students, all on their way to their next class. His gaze lowers to the Rubik's Cube, and he picks it up, almost reverently.

Damn. He's gonna have to work harder to figure her out.

\--

Elliot honestly expected this Cupid De La Rue person to ditch one day because the guy clearly didn't need a tutor and was just faking it for some reason.

But he kept coming back. The day after. And the day after.

It was impressive, really, and even though Elliot didn't really want to have anything to do with Cupid other than their 'tutoring sessions,' he can't really push away that weird twist in his gut every time he sees the other.

A crush, maybe, but it had been so long since he's even had the feeling that it just felt like nausea to him. Neyah is far away, but she still brings up memories he can't force himself to forget. And maybe he never will.

He doesn't bring a Rubik's Cube to the session this time. His part-time jobs are getting to him and homework time is being pushed out the window. So when he actually pulls out his homework, Cupid, of course, has to ask a billion questions about it.

Not that he minds the attention; he just needs to get his work done.

"Oh right!" Cupid snaps his fingers in an epiphany. "You're in the same class as me!"

Elliot tilts his head slightly as he scribbles down the last of his calculus homework. "Really."

"Yeah, AP French!" He grins, as if Elliot could award him a prize for remembering. "You kinda slaughtered everyone else in public speaking, hun. Except for me, of course~. You sure you're not French?"

"Yes." Elliot files away his calculus homework and takes out his English work.

Clearly disappointed with that answer, Cupid leans forward. "Then how're you fluent?"

"Learned over time." It's vague, really, but Elliot is concentrating on whatever Shakespeare has to offer, not the person across from him.

Cupid huffs. "Learned over time, but how? I mean, I'm French and I learned it when I was young, but if you're not French... did you come from France, ma chérie?"

"No." It's slightly satisfying to give short answers, but Elliot is barely paying attention anyway. Even more so to not notice Cupid used the feminine term of endearment. Not that it mattered. Cupid didn’t know.

"Then how?"

"I told you." Elliot crosses a word out and scribbles over it. "I learned."

"Yeah, you learn, sure, but no one learns French that quickly. Do you speak at home?"

"No." His stomach twists at the thought. Currently, his 'home' is his bag and whatever public restrooms he can find to clean up. "Never did," he adds, to make it more plausible to his mind.

Cupid seems to stop and think about that, and in that short time, Elliot forces out the last of his English homework and puts it away.

"Then how'd you learn so fast?"

For the first time, Elliot makes eye contact with Cupid, right as the bell rings. "Maybe I'm just special. See you tomorrow."

He leaves without looking back.

\--

Des is waiting for him outside the library a week later, and Cupid would be surprised if it weren't for the common occurrence of it.

"What's that girl got to you, huh?"

"Nothing, sweetheart." Cupid frowns, crossing his arms. "We've been over this before. We're just friends."

Des grins. "Yeah, okay. Why does she seem interested in you?"

"Excuse me?"

"That girl, Takeda, Ella, whatever the fuck, she doesn't talk to anyone unless they're part of that little friend group she has, y'know, the one with the anger issues, the foreigner and the dweeb. And sometimes that thief that hangs around the pack during lunch, but that's not the point. She's--"

"Tutoring me," Cupid cuts him off. He doesn't have time for Des' bullshit. "She's tutoring me, and I've told you this before, take the fucking hint and leave me alone, got it?"

"Sticking up for her?" Des sneers. "Who in the everloving shit wears slacks with a skirt?"

Cupid crosses his arms. "Go away, Des."

"What's going on." The arrival of Ella couldn't have had worse timing and Cupid internally grimaces.

Des, however, seems to brighten, which Cupid knows means that there's going to be bullshit afoot. "Oh, hey, Takeda! Nice to see you.

Ella barely spares him a glance and turns right to Cupid. "Hope you did your math homework."

"Why?" Cupid blinks.

"Because I need to go over that with you."

Right. Right, they were supposed to be in a tutoring session. Part of him is grateful that Ella knew what to say, and part of him wishes Des would just leave. He offers a half grin. "Yeah, of course I did."

Des slaps him on the back. "I'll see you around," he tells Cupid, and to Ella, he goes, "Don't make any moves, got it?"

Cupid and Ella stand stock still until Des leaves, before Cupid turns to Ella. "Sorry about that."

She inclines her head. "It's okay. Who was that."

Ella pushes the door open to the library, Cupid following close behind. "My, uh, my ex, dear, nothing to worry about," he says with fake cheerfulness, but Ella's expression doesn't change, as always.

"I see."

\--

The library is crowded today, with people flooding the tables, the chairs, the floor. Cupid is just about to suggest to go somewhere else when Ella simply walks over to a table and the students there all scatter. She gestures to the now empty table. "You first."

Cupid settles in the seat across from her, as per usual, and waits for her to sit before awkwardly clearing his throat.

"So why did everyone just--"

"Leave." Ella finishes for him, and he nods.

"Yeah."

"Probably due to the rumors."

"What rumors?"

She studies him for a moment. "That I could be transgender."

Cupid stares and she watches him steadily. "Uh--"

"Would there be a problem if I were trans." It's a genuine question, without the lilt in tone, sure, but he can see there's something in her eyes that makes him feel like he needs to answer this one seriously.

"Well... to be fair.." he trails off. "I am kinda questioning my own gender anyway, so..."

She barely looks surprised. "Do you have any pronouns you'd like me to refer to you as instead."

He blanches. Hardly the question he expected, but it was nice of her to ask. "Any are fine, really. You don't... you don't have to change pronouns for me, hun, it's okay."

"Alright." Ella's gaze slides away from him for a moment before going back. "I'm trans."

"Oh." He doesn't know what to say other than that as the information sinks in. "Oh, okay, cool."

She -- he -- nods. "I'm a guy, and I have been for several years. It's not in school records because my parents refused to change it for me, so I just went with it. It's easier anyway."

"And-- and do you have, like, a name or anything? I mean it's fine if you don't, but I was just wondering--"

"It's fine. And my name's actually Elliot, so you have that under your belt now. Along with the answer to every other question you've asked me." The other tilts his head slightly at the lack of reply. "I hope my answer is sufficient."

Cupid snaps out of his daze. "Oh. Oh, yeah, it is, thanks, Elliot."

Is it just him or is Elliot suddenly really attractive or the room really hot?

Elliot's lips twitch. "Likewise. Thank you for trusting me with your own information."

"Oh, it's not that big of a deal, sweetheart--"

"It is," Elliot interrupts, blank eyes swirling with something much more than disinterest now. "It really is."

Cupid nods slowly. "And you never answered my questions really."

"Did I really not."

"No," Cupid says, relaxing now that the intense part is over. "You just gave yes and no answers. Every. Single. Time. Like, c’mon, dear, how mysterious can you even be?"

It wasn't an exaggeration. Every session had him asking multiple questions and Elliot either ignored it or answered it minimally.

"Was that not sufficient."

Okay, now Cupid swears that Elliot's mocking him. "No, it wasn't, sweetheart!"

"Well." Elliot raises an eyebrow. "I'm not French. I learned it for my jobs and I'm just naturally a fast learner. Nothing more."

"What nationality are you, if I can ask?"

"Japanese."

"You're kidding."

"Am not." Elliot's eyes widen ever so slightly. "Have you not heard my last name."

"Yeah, but--"

"Then there you have it."

Cupid sputters. "Okay, but what-- what about the others?"

Elliot pauses lengthily before opening his mouth. "I have no pets, no siblings, I ran away from home two years ago and I am living on my own on the streets, I have five part-time jobs and I know at least five languages. Not including English. The Rubik's Cube I gave you was stolen from my employer last year and they still haven't figured it out that I was the one who took it. All my belongings are in here--" he pats his bag, "--and I am panromantic. Asexual, if you will. My best friend is Rumi Bellamy, who is also known as the kid who gets detention every other day for getting into fights, and my other friends are Chase Alvarez, Kyo Blanchet, and Asuki Sevilla--"

"Woah, woah, okay, sweetie, hang on," Cupid waves a hand to stop the other boy from continuing. "How did you remember all the questions I've asked you over the span of nearly a month?"

"I have a good memory."

Cupid stares, then realizes he's staring, blushes, and coughs into his fist. "Okay, so anyway, you have a pretty interesting life."

"So you say." Elliot pushes his glasses further up his nose. "Is your life nearly not that interesting."

"Well, my moms are lesbian," Cupid offers, "but that's hardly anything compared to the shit you just told me. You should come over sometime, angel."

_ Smooth, Cupid. Real smooth. _

Elliot shifts slightly in his seat. "I would not want to impose."

"It's just like, for dinner or whatever, maybe just to hang out?"

The other boy just shakes his head. "It is kind of you, but it's alright."

"Alright, suit yourself~" Cupid slumps back in his seat. God, Elliot suddenly is really cute and he doesn't know how to handle it. Without realizing, his flirtatious side had overtaken him, and that’s already enough to tell him he’s in trouble. The bell rings, saving him from coming up with more ways to potentially embarrass himself, and Elliot is already halfway out of his seat.

"See you tomorrow?" Cupid asks.

There's the barest hint of a smile on Elliot's face as he looks back. "Yes. See you tomorrow."

He's almost at the door when he turns around again. "Oh, and the rumor wasn't actually that I'm trans. They just think I'm creepy."

Cupid stares after him.

_ Uh, what? _

\--

"I think I like him."

He's sitting on the top step of the bleachers, Rumi beside him. His heart feels like it's going to squeeze into a million pieces when he says it aloud, but Rumi stays silent for a long time.

"You sure?"

He hesitates. "Yes."

Rumi shifts. "Well, if you need me to beat De La Rue up for you if he rejects you, you better fucking tell me."

Elliot would smile if he didn't feel so... sick right now. "No, it's fine. Did not know you cared, though."

Rumi growls low in their throat. "Kuso kurae, Takeda. I don't care about you."

"Sure you don't," Elliot responds. "I'm sure you would not care either if you weren't all 'ta gueule' at everything anyone said. Just tell everyone 'casse toi' and 'fuzakeruna' and they'll leave you alone. Great strategy."

"I will fucking slaughter you."

"You tried, remember. Couldn't get through with it for some reason."

"Shut up."

"Say that again but in Russian. You need practice."

Rumi snarls, but there's no bite behind it. "I'm going to murder you tonight."

"We'll see."

The other just glares at him and they sit in silence for a bit.

"What are you going to do about the crush thing?"

"I don't know." He remembers Neyah, her words, her looks, her attitude, and how Cupid matches exactly none of it. The weird crush feeling is still there, but it makes him feel slightly better now that he's told Rumi. "But I think it'll be fine."

"It better be."

\--

“You never laugh, is there a reason for that?” Cupid leans forward over the table, eyes wide. Elliot meets his gaze blankly.

"What."

"Laugh, cutie, I've literally never--"

"Maybe if you're lucky."

Cupid blinks, but Elliot has already gone back to his work.

"Well, do you think I'd have a chance?"

Elliot glances back up at him. "Perhaps."

Cupid raises his eyebrows, but Elliot looks away again, reading through whatever textbook he's pulled out of that bag of his. Cupid swears it's almost magic, seemingly producing whatever Elliot needed without looking too bulky for its size. But his thoughts now aren't on the bag. It's on Elliot himself, the way his eyes flicker across the pages, almost too fast to see, his fingers idly tapping against the table top, and his lips--

Cupid jerks back. God, he can't think about that now. No kissing boys in the library. It should be a public rule, in place specifically for him, because kissing Elliot Takeda seems like a  _ really _ good idea at the moment. But the other rarely showed emotion towards him, and he had no idea if Elliot ever held emotions towards anything.

But he did say he was pan-ace, and that was somewhere to start, which was good since Cupid was on the borderline with his own identity. 

"What's your opinion on uh..." The need for conversation is suffocating. Either he likes to hear Elliot talk to him or he just needs some kind of attention from this guy. He'd like to think it's the former. "...hummus?"

Elliot finally looks back up at him and  _ god _ his  _ eyes _ . Cupid almost loses it, if it weren't for the stupidity of the subject. "Hummus," he repeats, and Cupid nods. 

"Hummus."

"Never tried it."

"Well, you missed out on nothing good."

Elliot has the decency to look a fraction of slightly surprised. "Then why bother asking."

Cupid doesn't have the notion to be  _ that _ self destructive and say he just wanted to get Elliot to talk to him. "Oh, it was just a question I was going to ask with the others, angel. Don't worry about it."

Elliot stares at him before closing his book. "I'm not an idiot. What do you want to talk about."

"What?"

"You heard me. You aren't dumb either."

“Oh, um--"

"What would you ask next. Opinion on sriracha."

"I don't--"

Elliot doesn't look away this time; it's like his eyes are boring holes into Cupid's head. "I have lived off sriracha for two weeks. Next question."

"Hun, I didn't even  _ ask _ a question."

"You did, and it was the same level of weird as the one I just did."

Cupid stares back at the boy across from him before grinning. "I see. You're playing a game."

Elliot's face morphs into a half-smile, something that looks very awkward on his face, like he's not used to it yet, but Cupid feels like he's going to explode. Why the hell is he so cute? "And what are you going to do about it."

"Ask you more dumb questions," Cupid offers, but the bell rings and everyone in the library collectively moves to the door, including Elliot.

"See you tomorrow," Elliot says, still smiling, and Cupid can't help but smile back.

"À demain."

Elliot raises a brow, his expression turning more into one of  _ don't test me _ . "Mata ashita."

Cupid snorts. "Got me there, doll."

The other boy just shakes his head, expression turning back to its usual, and then Elliot's swept out along with the departing crowd. Cupid doesn't realize he's still smiling until he catches a glimpse of himself in the library window.

A smile. Not laughter, but it's something at least.

\--

"I like you." The words slip out before he can help it and Elliot seems to freeze where he is.

"What."

"I like you, sweetheart," Cupid elaborates, which wasn't really elaboration at all. Elliot continues to stare at him, not processing.

"I hear you, but why."

Cupid falters. Clearly this wasn't what he was hoping for an answer, and he offers a hopeful smile. "Oh, I just.. think you're kinda cute, y'know~"

Far from the truth. It was almost embarrassing how much time Elliot spent on his mind. French class was just him staring at Elliot the entire time, only masked when the other had to actually present something and attention was a necessity. Elliot had met his eyes one of those times, and Cupid had winked at him, causing the other to subtly raise an eyebrow and continue with his presentation.

It was probably not one of his best moments, but he had tried.

Elliot, however, seemed to be reacting opposite to how Cupid had expected. His shoulders had dropped slightly and part of him seems relieved, if that could even come across as relief. 

"Oh. Well. I might like you back too."

Cupid's heart bounces in his chest. "Oh. You're serious?"

"I don't lie," Elliot responds, lips curling slightly upwards, and Cupid suddenly feels so... elated, he grins. 

"Oh," he says again. "Oh. Can I--"

Elliot interrupts him by grabbing him on either side of his face and yanking him forward to kiss him harshly on the lips.

_ Oh. Shit. _

Cupid kisses back without really processing anything, eyes sliding closed. He had never taken Elliot as a good kisser, but holy hell, his feelings did a  _ very _ good job in seeking out unlikely people. His hands drift to the shorter's waist as he feels Elliot's arms wrap around his neck to deepen the kiss.

Cupid's barely aware of the place around him, or even the fact that he needs to breathe before it's over all too soon and he frowns slightly, face flushed hot and heart fluttering, when Elliot pulls away.

"Why'd you stop?" he whines, and Elliot studies him for a moment, their faces only inches apart. His eyes are a deep brown under his glasses, and Cupid wonders why he never knew what color they were until now. Unless he turned slightly and they looked blue, and then green, and then--

"Did you forget to breathe."

Cupid pauses. “Maybe~"

He's rewarded with another half smile. "I'm not surprised."

Cupid just snorts and leans in again. "Shut up and kiss me."

\--

When Cupid leads Elliot to his home for the first time, he's suddenly filled with apprehension. What if Elliot didn't like it there? What if his moms didn't approve? Maybe they should've eaten dinner at his house, like his moms wanted, but Elliot didn't seem all that willing to say more than he needed so leftover school cafeteria food was enough for dinner---

He was overthinking things.

The door swings open to reveal his moms waiting for them, Cupid's mom smiling when she sees them. "This is your boyfriend, Cupid?"

"Yeah, uh, Mom? Mother? This is Elliot." Cupid gestures to Elliot, who looks more than slightly uncomfortable, despite no change in expression. "Elliot, these are my moms."

Elliot seems to stiffen then and when he speaks, it's more formal and polite than anything. "It's nice to meet you, um, Mrs. De La Rue." He seems to address both of Cupid's moms in the same term, but neither seem to mind.

"Do you want anything to eat? To drink?" Cupid's mother offers, and Elliot very jerkily shakes his head.

"I'm good, thank you."

"Come on upstairs," Cupid suggests, and Elliot seems to relax slightly at that, following Cupid to his room. As they stand there in the doorway, Cupid is suddenly filled with some type of feeling that he doesn't feel comfortable with. Being self-conscious isn't part of his usual self, but seeing Elliot's gaze travel over the room, he wonders if Elliot deemed it too fancy or too large or--

"I like your bedroom," the boy finally says, and Cupid realizes that he's only standing there because  _ Elliot _ is waiting for him to go in. The taller boy makes his way into his room, Elliot moving only after the former settles himself on the bed.

"It's not that great, but--"

Elliot cuts him off, a hint of a smile on his face. "It's fine, Cupid."

And suddenly he manages to reach across the small space between them, hooking the cuff of Cupid's school uniform and jerking him forward to meet his lips. Cupid makes a noise of surprise, but Elliot somehow finds his hands amidst the slight confusion and the other shudders as he feels Elliot's fingers gently graze the inside of his wrists. He melts into the kiss, pushing Elliot back slightly onto the bed with how much he's leaning forward, their hands sliding apart as Cupid moves his own upwards to entangle one in Elliot's hair, pushing off his hat, the other removing the shorter's glasses. Elliot responds by taking off Cupid's own glasses, easing them from the slim space between their faces. The objects are tossed somewhere beyond Cupid's own knowledge, not that he cares anyway. His weight pulls them both backwards over the bed so they're a mess of limbs and wrinkled clothes. They've been kissing for so long, Cupid wonders just how long he can hold his breath. He can feel the quilt against his back, the ridges digging in through his shoulder blades, Elliot's weight, Elliot's lips, Elliot's hair, Elliot. Just Elliot. 

And he wishes they could never stop.

Elliot finally pulls away for air, and Cupid just lays there, mind blissfully blank. His boyfriend leans away, probably to set the sunglasses somewhere, and Cupid snakes an arm around his waist. 

"Elliot~" he whines, and the other gives him a half-exasperated look, a far cry from his usual emotionless state. 

"What. You don't want your glasses ruined, do you?"

"Well, no, but--"

"But nothing."

Cupid pushes himself up into a sitting position. "Come here."

"Cupid..." Despite the warning tone, Elliot does as the other says, and Cupid climbs into Elliot's lap so they're facing each other. They stare at each other for a moment, waiting for something to happen. 

"I love you." Cupid takes Elliot's face in both hands and starts to cover it in kisses, trailing down to his neck.

Elliot lets out a noise that partly a moue of protest, but Cupid starts to work around his neck, watching his boyfriend close his eyes and tilt his head upwards, letting him brace both hands against the other's back to steady himself. As Cupid continues with his stream of affection, he can feel Elliot's hands creeping up his back and his own neck, to cup either side of Cupid's face. Cupid pulls away just in time for Elliot to meet his lips again with another kiss. Slowly, they tilt backward until Elliot's back lands on the bed, the impact separating them briefly. Cupid finds himself positioned above Elliot, hands on either side to keep from falling onto his partner, while Elliot stares up at him, expression something a little more than emotionless. 

"Is this why you made us go to your room?" Elliot asks, and Cupid winks at him. 

"You know it, baby~"

Elliot rolls his eyes and opens his mouth to say something, but Cupid's mother's footsteps suddenly echo on the stairs and he stiffens, hands jolting to his hair as if he could pull it from his head. "What did we do?"

"What?" Cupid turns his head in the direction of the noise. "What do you mean?"

His mother always came upstairs to say goodnight to him; he had tried to say he was a bit too old for that, but she insisted so he let her. Elliot, however, seems uncomfortable and wary at the noise, fingers twisting at the ends of his hair when Cupid's mother finally opens the door.

"Oh," she laughs, "did I interrupt something?"

"Mother!" Cupid realizes he's still practically straddling Elliot and quickly gets off, letting Elliot sit up. "It's not--"

She smiles at him. "It is, but don't worry, it can be our secret. Goodnight, you two."

Elliot finally recovers enough to respond with a flat "Goodnight," Cupid echoing him briefly.

The door closes and Elliot's shoulders drop.

"You good, prince?"

Elliot tilts his head slightly. "Yes." His sudden reversion to his previous state isn't something Cupid can ignore, though, but he decides not to push it.

"Come to bed with me~?" he offers instead, and Elliot's smile comes back, albeit more subtle with the shadows being cast around by the darkening sky. Cupid fights the overwhelming urge to kiss him again.

"Of course."

\--

Rumi corners Cupid a few days later, their eyes spitting sparks. Cupid has been around them enough to know who they are, because he now eats with Elliot's friends during lunch. Their dynamic is interesting, and it seems only to supercharge into a frenzy simply because another person is here.

"You never told us that you have a boyfriend, Takeda," Rumi had accused, and Elliot's glasses had flashed in the sunlight.

"You never asked."

So now here was Rumi, standing between Cupid and his only way out, stance intimidating enough for Cupid blanch. Not enough, however, for him to stop himself from raising his eyebrows.

"Need something, sweetheart?"

Rumi glares at him. "You're dating Elliot."

"Indeed I am~"

"You better not fuck him over, got it?"

Cupid frowns slightly. "Why would I? It's not like--"

"No, but you're shady as fuck and I don't trust you. Elliot doesn't want me to beat your face into the dirt so I'll oblige as long as you stay in line."

"And what? I'm not going to do anything to him. Why're you so interested, hun?"

At that, Rumi falters slightly before solidifying into anger again. "It's not important, but Elliot doesn't need more shit in his life, got it? If you do  _ anything _ \--"

"You'll kill me," Cupid finishes. "Mon dieu, can't you chill for a minute?"

Rumi seethes. "Don't fucking tell me what to do, De La Rue."

His last name feels like an insult on their lips, but he merely grins at them. That only seems to piss them off more.

"Listen, enfoiré, I don't have time for your smartass fuckery, alright? If you  _ ever _ break his fucking heart, va te faire foutre."

Cupid sighs and raises both hands to poorly attempt to placate them. "Okay, I get it, Bellamy. Calm down."

Rumi glares at him some more before finally moving aside. He can feel their eyes on him as he walks past, but chooses to ignore it. He'll get nowhere by inflating them more and besides, Elliot is waiting for him.

Sure enough, he finds his boyfriend sitting on the ground by the bike cages, fixing whatever hell his bike has gone through the past few days. He claimed it was the result of carelessly leaving it out in the street during his second job, but Cupid had a hard time believing it. 

"Hey baby~"

Elliot looks up. "Hi Cupid." He snaps the chain back from where the bike is suspended by its seat and stands, flipping it right side up. "What took you so long."

"Ran into Bellamy," Cupid offers, and Elliot hardly looks surprised.

"I keep telling them they care too much, but they keep insisting otherwise. Did they threaten you."

"Yeah." Cupid thinks back to his conversation with them and chooses to eradicate it from his memory. He doesn't know what Rumi meant by Elliot having too much to deal with. Something told him that it was more than living on the streets. "It's not that big of a deal though, dear."

"It usually isn't." Elliot shoulders his bag and turns to face Cupid. "Rumi just has a habit of saying things they won't do. Not as long as we're friends anyway."

"Relieving~"

"I guess. Did they refer to me with my first or last name."

"First. Why?"

"No reason.

A pause.

"We going to my place tonight?"

Elliot gives him a wary look. "If you're okay with it."

Cupid nods, almost way too eagerly. "My moms won't be home, so it's just us."

That seems to convince the other a little more, but his expression stayed as blank as ever. "I see."

"And I think there's always more of Elliot Takeda than meets the eye in public~" Cupid continues and Elliot tilts his head.

"Really. Well I think Cupid De La Rue is unfairly cute and--"

"Hang on." Cupid can feel his face flushing, and he quickly raises a hand to his face. Elliot stops talking, sounding amused now.

"Are you okay."

"Yeah, give me a minute."

"Is it because I just called you cute."

"No, of course not!"

"...You're cute."

"Gah!" Cupid shakes his head violently. "Stop it!"

Elliot laughs then, and Cupid suddenly forgets about everything and gives in to the overwhelming urge to kiss him.

It's short, only lasting several seconds, and Elliot just presses his face into Cupid's shoulder when they are finished, arms wrapping around him. Cupid returns the embrace as tightly as he can, closing his eyes. 

"Love you." Elliot's voice is muffled, but Cupid understands him perfectly.

"I love you too."

  
  
  



End file.
